Modern and Contemporary

Poul Ruders – Dream Catcher
Bjarke Mogensen; Odense Symphoniorkester; Sebastian Lang-Lessing; Scott Yoo
Bridge Records 9553 (bridgerecords.com/collections/catalog-all) 

Danish composer Poul Ruders is renowned for his symphonies, and his operas like The Handmaid’s Tale based on Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name. Here, three Ruders instrumental works showcase his intriguing compositions.

This world premiere recording of the seven-movement Sound and Simplicity (2018) concerto is performed by Danish accordionist Bjarke Mogensen and the Odense Symfoniorkester conducted by Sebastian Lang-Lessing. I. Rain opens with high staccato accordion replicating the sound of surface-landing droplets, followed by an energetic full orchestra section. Love the percussion thunder-like rumbles. Calming sustained four-note II. Trance, presented over three octaves, makes for relaxing “simple” sounds. Mogensen’s accordion performance of IV. Smoke paints a smoky soundscape with steady held notes, wide pitch range, brief controlled bellow shake and contrapuntal melodies, supported by orchestral diverse floating pitches and dynamics. Rollicking VII. Wolf Moon bounces along with faster interchanges and dynamic swells between orchestra and accordion, to the penultimate ascending line and the final accordion chord.

Dream Catcher is Mogensen’s arrangement for solo accordion of Ruders’ accordion and string quartet Serenade on the Shores of the Cosmic Ocean. This diatonic work features musical, hypnotic held notes, a high-pitched slow tune and closing repeated soft notes, highlighting Mogensen’s virtuosic bellow control. 

Previously released by Bridge, Symphony No.3 “Dream Catcher” is a two-movement orchestral extravaganza conducted by Scott Yoo. The loud percussive start transforms into a tonal, sweet-dream string section. In the second movement, faster birdlike horn trilling leads to full-steam-ahead virtuosic orchestral multi-rhythmic chase music.

Catch this great Ruders sound release!!

Piazzolla Cien Años (100 Years 1921-2021)
Juanjo Mosalini; Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston; Gisèle Ben-Dor
Centaur Records CRC 3844 (giseleben-dor.com)

This is another memorable release celebrating the centenary of Argentine composer/bandoneonist Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) as conductor Gisèle Ben-Dor leads the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston and bandoneon soloist Juanjo Mosalini.

The recording opens with a Piazzolla original Aconcagua, Concerto for Bandoneon (1979) a three-movement, true-to-his-style work, featuring rhythmic symphonic grooves, lyrical bandoneon solos with fast trills and virtuosic lines, and tight soloist and orchestra interchanges creating a danceable yet concert-hall classical-flavoured rendition performed perfectly by all concerned.

Four world premiere recordings scored for bandoneon and orchestra follow. Two Mosalini single-movement original compositions incorporate Piazzolla influences with popular/classical touches in his own soundscapes. Tomá, Tocá (Take It, Play It) is faster with repeated notes and virtuosic flourishes. Cien Años (One Hundred Years) combines tango elements with nostalgic bandoneon melodies, long phrases and bright high pitches.

Two Piazzolla works arranged by Mosalini follow. Originally in four movements, The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires is presented as one long, connected work. Piazzolla purists will respect this for its true-to-style playing. Shifts in tempos, grooves and moods, the deep cello lines, florid fast bandoneon and orchestra accompaniments are amazing, ranging from danceable and fun to serious and slow. In the closer, Piazzolla’s popular Libertango, technically challenging solos now alternate with colourful orchestra lead lines above bandoneon rhythmic accents.  

Fantastic performances and great music, what more could we want?

Alain Lefèvre – Opus 7 Préludes
Alain Lefèvre
Warner Classics 9029540078 (alainlefevre.com/composer)

Charismatic Alain Lefèvre is a perfect composer and pianist in his seventh release featuring seven piano preludes, six of which were recorded in spring 2019 in his native Quebec.

Composing and then performing one’s own works must be exceedingly gratifying. Lefèvre started his career as a pianist, reaching international acclaim. The liner notes state he started composing in the late 1970s and first recorded his compositions in 1999. He accurately describes himself compositionally as a storyteller.  

No.1 Force fragile is reminiscent of Romantic-style music with a waltz opening, sparkling high notes, contrasting lower pitches, runs against melodic held notes and loud, percussive, yet surprisingly, never-banging notes building to a happy story finale. No.3 Amour fou utilizes subtle touches of contemporary harmonic shifts, shorter repeated melodic phrases, rubato, and an unexpected triple-time faster programmatic section with staccato chords and melodies with turns, all recounting the search for true (not crazy/fou) love. No.5 Aux portes du destin, composed for a Syrian friend with cancer, is a dramatic grief-laden major/minor tonality piece enveloped by melodic high single notes, and at the ending creating a tinkle of hope. No.7 Mati, for piano and bouzouki (Thanasis Polykandriotis), was composed after a tragic 2018 fire in Mati, Greece. Recorded in Athens, the bouzouki’s plucked strings and piano-hammered keys create a unique sound, especially during quasi-unison duets, melodic conversations with bouzouki high notes.

Lefèvre’s Opus 7 Préludes are colourful, multi-character “best-selling” piano stories!

The Lost Clock
Rose Bolton
Important Records/Cassauna (imprec.com/cassauna)

The undulating hypnotica of Canadian composer Rose Bolton’s latest release demonstrates mastery of colour and form as filtered through the electronic realm. In the four tracks that comprise the album, titled The Lost Clock, the listener is captivated throughout introspective drones and pulses all layered in a foundation of sonic alchemy. 

The first piece, Unsettled Souls, is a short gem infused with mysterious bells that somehow haunt and comfort simultaneously. The almost 13-minute title work has a mood of wonderful anguish much like hidden corrosion under a brilliant surface. The third piece, Starless Night, is comprised of a warm blanket of electronic molasses over which jagged and unknown sound sources create a liminal experience of otherworldliness and real-world mechanics. The Heaven Mirror, the concluding work, is as evocative as the title suggests. 

This music is serene and calm, but not without deep and profound poetic intention. The Lost Clock is a digital release also available on cassette on the Caussana imprint from Important Records.